Initially, Title IX served as a law that established equal access to school and college sports programs for all students, irrespective of their gender. Hence, the law protected the participating students from jokes and negative comments. However, Title IX has become so much more than that today.
Read on to learn more about how Title IX matters for the survivors of sexual assault and violence.
IX Title and Sexual Violence Protection
Under the latest changes in Title IX, educational institutes have the responsibility to ensure that sexual misconduct and harassment do not affect anyone’s access to education. The underlying idea is to ensure that everyone feels safe on campus, that the law protects the victims, and that they still have access to education after an event occurs.
Where Does Title IX Apply Now?
According to the latest changes in the law, now Title IX applies to all educational institutes, such as schools, colleges, and universities that are under federal funding. This aspect includes student financial aid. It is important to mention here that Title IX includes the protection of all students who are in K-12 schools and essentially receive federal funding.
Students who are survivors of sexual assault or misconduct can get in touch with a lawyer, such as the Title IX Defense in Los Angeles if the affected student is from Los Angeles and have a legal representative on their side to ensure that their rights aren’t violated and that they can continue their studies uninterruptedly.
The Importance of Title IX for Sexual Violence Survivors
Sexual abuse and sexual misconduct in any form is linked with discrimination that is based on sex. On that note, Title IX integrates the key protections that help the survivors of discrimination based on sex to stay in school and maintain their education – even after they have experienced sexual assault on campus.
The law understands that typically, the survivors of sexual misconduct or discrimination are more likely to underperform in their studies, which often leads to lower GPAs. Subsequently, the survivors of sexual misconduct also struggle immensely with emotional and mental health, which eventually causes them to drop out of school or college altogether.
According to statistics, survivors of sexual misconduct on campus have a higher dropout rate, such as nearly 35%. It is important to mention here that the survivors of sexual misconduct can access support from the police and off-campus hospitals; however, the latest changes in Title IX are more focused on helping sexual violence survivors than ever before.
What Are the Latest Accommodations that Sexual Violence Survivors Can Access?
As per the latest changes in Title IX, the survivors of sexual misconduct can now get support by gaining access to resources and accommodations, such as the following:
- GPA adjustments
- Changes of Dorms
- Changes in Schedule
- Extensions for Assignments
- Extensions for Homework
- Mental Health Counseling
- Student Loan Counseling
- Access to Restraining Orders
- Access to No-Contact Orders
As you might already have gotten a better idea, the latest changes in Title IX guarantee better support to the victims of sexual abuse and ensure that the survivors don’t cut short their education due to being in a hostile and potentially dangerous learning environment.
What Are All the Changes with Title IX?
At this point, you might be wondering about the latest changes happening with Title IX, as this law has been more or less subject to political changes. Nonetheless, according to the latest upgrades in Title IX, you are looking at the following revisions that have been effective since August this year.
Redefining Sex-Based Harassment
According to the latest revisions, there has been a redefinition of sex-based harassment occurring on campus or in any educational institute, including schools that are funded by the federal states. Now, all of these schools have to oblige the law and address all forms of sex-based harassment and violence that occur on campus.
Off-Campus Harassment Are Also Included
Now, schools, colleges, and educational institutes have the responsibility of addressing off-campus harassment, too. These can be instances that occurred during school-related activities in the USA. If a sexual harassment incident that occurred outside the school or college is creating a hostile learning environment for the affected student, then it is the responsibility of the educational institute to address the matter as soon as possible and take notice of what happened and why it happened. Addressing the issue has become more crucial than ever before.
What About Online Harassment?
The latest changes in Title IX are essentially protecting students who have been victims of online harassment, too. Speaking of online harassment, the law has established a clear stance that sees online harassment as unwelcome conduct. This aspect includes spreading and sharing non-consensual images and posts on social media.
Speaking of images, the Department also has a clear stance on the distribution of AI-generated images or images that have been altered in any way. Online harassment is not acceptable in any form, and if it creates a hostile learning environment for the affected student on campus, it is the responsibility of the educational institute to address the matter right away.
Support to Old Students
Schools are now required to address incidents of harassment quickly and timely. However, under the latest changes in Title IX, the educational institutes that receive federal funding are also required to address and investigate the sexual misconduct complaints of their previous students who no longer study at the institute but were victims of sexual assault while they were studying and on-campus at the time the incident occurred.
Fair Process for All Involved Parties
According to the latest updates in Title IX, educational institutes are required to offer fair access and supportive measures to all parties, specifically the affected students who need to go through a grievance period. Supportive measures can include mental health counseling, homework extensions, assignment extensions, and no-contact orders.
Mandatory Training
Last but not least, training has now become mandatory, and educational institutes must train all of their employees to address sexual violence and report it. The training also includes conducting unbiased and reliable investigations of all parties that are involved in the incident. The training has been expanded to the point that teachers and staff have to report sexual misconduct incidents as they come up during class assignments or discussions. There is a greater stress on the importance of reporting sexual misconduct and sexual violence crimes, and all staff and faculty members must comply.